Structural coupling devices such as hinges have existed for many centuries. The concept of a mechanical hinge largely involves extended parts pivoting around a pin. In recent years, modern mechanical hinges have grown in complexity, and the idea of hiding hinges for decorative purposes has evolved in many directions, some of which are known in the trade as European hinges, 35 mm hinges, and SOSS hinges. Each of these hinges uses, in one fashion or another, one or more pins incorporated in a device with two extensions so that the pin defines a pivot axis about which the extensions can rotate. In the case of a hinge with planar extensions, those extensions typically are attached on one side to a support structure and on another side to a structure intended to pivot. In a cabinet, for example, one extension on the hinge may be fastened to the section of the cabinet designed to contain items. This cabinet section is usually attached to a floor, wall, or other larger structure so as to be immovable. In addition, the second extension about the pin may be attached to the door of the cabinet so that once attached, the door is also able to rotate about an axis defined by the pin.
It is also well known that such hinging devices must be physically attached to the door via screws, nails, rivets, or welding. It is further known that a degree of skill, time and precision is required to attach doors to their respective frames. Once a door is attached to a frame, the pivot axis typically is permanently set. Thus, for example, it is not typical to change the location of the pivot axis with respect to the frame—attached to the right or left side of the frame—because of the established location of the fasteners for the hinge. Tasks requiring removal of the door from the structure, e.g. for cleaning or refurbishing, may be tedious because of the fastened nature of the door with respect to the hinged coupling. Moreover, once a door is attached to a frame, it is impractical to remove the door for any desirable aesthetic purposes because of the visibility of the hinge and/or the holes in the frame where the hinge was fastened.
Many modern hinges also incorporate the use of springs to automatically return a door to its closed position. While the state of the art includes magnets that can lock a door to its support, these magnets do not have any appreciable potential to return the door to its closed state or otherwise support the door without any structural coupling between the door and surrounding structure.
There exists a need for systems and methods for supporting a door with respect to a frame or other structure. In particular, there exists a need for systems and methods in which magnetic fields are used to attract the door to a frame or other structure in lieu of an actual physical pin, spring, and/or socket coupling. Thus, there exists a need for a virtual hinge that requires no actual hardware to attach or otherwise fix a door to another structure.